


No Trust

by Stark_63



Category: The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Everyone’s a suspect, F/F, F/M, Gen, Murder Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2020-04-05
Packaged: 2020-05-15 15:01:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,373
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19298128
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stark_63/pseuds/Stark_63
Summary: The Avengers are all enjoying a night off together for the first time in months. The following morning, a member of the team is found dead in their room, sparking outrage and spreading distrust amongst the team. Will the killer be found before they kill again?





	1. Movie Night

**Author's Note:**

> So I’m having some real bad writers block on my other two stories “Agent Romanoff” and “Miss You” So I thought I’d try to write something else first and see if it helped clear it up. The good news is, it has so expect updates for the other two stories very soon. In the meantime do enjoy my first ever murder mystery.
> 
> P.S. It’s set after Age of Ultron, and uses the now scrapped idea that Captain Marvel was going to be introduced in the final battle of that film. Also, there’s a few references to comic events and characters (like my renaming of Carol’s cat in line with the comics rather than film)

    “What a shit-show this turned out to be,” moaned Sam as he and the other Avengers boarded the quinnjet after they’d spent their day tracking and shutting down a human trafficking ring right across Eastern Europe. However, said human trafficking ring had somehow managed to lay their hands on stolen Chiaturi weaponry and put up one hell of a fight when the team showed up. Wanda had been shot in the arm but thankfully her heavy duty combat gear meant she only had a light flesh wound. She sat down on the jet and huffed,” Why is it me who has to get shot again. It’s pissing me off.” Nat chuckled as she applied antiseptic to Wanda’s wound, “Don’t worry love, it’ll be Sam’s turn soon,” she whispered, causing both women to laugh. Steve and Clint trudged to the cockpit, both limping from being thrown into a concrete wall by the blast of a pulse grenade. Clint looked at Steve who simply nodded, knowing exactly what he was thinking, “Friday, take the wheel for us, just back the compound please,” Steve said as he sat back in his chair and attempted to get some rest. “Haven’t felt this drained since New York man,” Clint said to Steve as he took a long drink from his ice cold bottle of water. Steve sighed as he rested his head back against the seat , “You and me both pal, you and me both.”

      “Boss, Captain Rogers and his team are coming into land,” Friday stated as Tony continued working on his new suit of armour- the MK XLVI. Tony removed his welding goggles and looked at the screen Friday had loaded up for him. He watched his friends descend the ramp of the quinnjet and smiled as he noticed they were in pretty good shape, considering the fight they’d been through. He strolled toward the hangar bay to meet them; as he rounded a corner he walked straight into the muscular back of Carol Danvers, whom had just left her room, no doubt to also greet the team. “Sorry Tony, I was just heading to the hangar,” she said apologetically, as Stark smiled “Don’t sweat it Cap, I was heading there myself,” he said as they strolled along the corridor together.

      As they entered the hangar, Cap and his team were crossing it slowly, their aches and pains more apparent in person. Carol quickened her pace, approaching Wanda and pulling her in for a light hug. “You Okay Wand? Any injuries I should know about?” Wanda laughed as she pulled Carol in for a quick kiss, “I’m fine Captain, just got a slight graze is all.” Tony and Steve stood chatting about the mission before the full debrief later in the day. “It was awful Tony; men, women and children all crammed into shipping containers like meat into a tin. And the smell, Jesus they were living in their own toilet. I haven’t seen anything that bad since the war,” Steve said, visibly shaken by the events that had unfolded earlier in the day. Tony put his hand on Steve’s shoulder and gave him a light squeeze. “There’s some sick bastards in this world Cap; but that’s why we’re here. We stop them hurting anyone else.” Steve nodded in response as he picked up his gear and headed towards the locker room. As Tony stood there alone with his thoughts, he felt a small yet muscular pair of arms snake around his waist. He and Nat shared a long embrace as Stark kissed the redhead’s cheek, followed by her soft pink lips, ”On a scale of 1-10, how much did you miss me?” Nat merely rolled her eyes, “Oh please we all know you’re the one who can’t live when I’m not around, now cmon I want coffee and no doubt everyone else does too.”

      As the Avengers sat around the kitchen drinking their coffees, Vision phased through wall, scaring the life out of Steve whom had been leaning on said wall. As everyone’s laughter died down, Vision looked at Steve apologetically, “Sorry Captain Rogers I didn’t mean to startle you,” the android said as he took a seat at the breakfast bar next to Sam, who finished off his Coffee. Tony stood up from his leaning stance against the refrigerator and opened up a debate for the team. “So the big question is... what’s for dinner?” Everyone looked at Tony with mixtures of confusion and amusement on their faces. Tony merely rolled his eyes, “You know it’s Friday right? As in take-out night?” As the other Avengers realised their error, they began to murmur to each other, trying to decide what to eat for dinner that night.

   
      After a lengthy debate and then a vote, the Avengers had decided on pizza for their weekly take-out. While waiting for their food to arrive, the team was gathered in the living room arguing over what film they should chose to watch with dinner. After ten minutes of getting nowhere, Tony stood up and yelled for everyone else to be quiet or go to bed. “Friday, pick a random film that we haven’t watched in at least the past year. There, hows that work for everyone?” As Tony sat back down the rest of the team quietly went about preparing for their food to arrive. Minutes later, Tony, Steve and Clint were carrying the food with great difficulty from the front of door to the kitchen area. Tony carried a tower of five pizzas; Steve had two large boxes contains various side orders, and Clint carried endless bottles of beer and soft drinks. Ten minutes later everyone settled down to see what film Friday had chosen for them to watch. As Nat snuggled closer to Tony on one of the smaller sofas, the opening credits of “Revenge of the Sith” blared onto the screen causing Carol to jump up in celebration. “YES! Goddamn Friday knows how to chose a film,” she said as Wanda and Tony rolled her eyes while Clint shook his head lightly. “What? You guys know I love Star Wars. Why else would I have a cat called Chewie,” she said as she sat back down with Wanda, who promptly stretched her legs across Carol’s own legs in an attempt to keep her still. As the film went on and the Avengers ate and drank their way through over $100 worth of pizza, fries and beer, they all felt at ease. The past few months had been hard on them with Ultron, followed by some asshole gun runners selling Chiaturi weaponry, not to mention trouble in the Mojave desert topped off with this Europe-wide human trafficking ring. All in all; this was the first time in weeks where everyone was present and accounted for, for the movie evening. Well, except Thor, but he could be forgiven for his absence due to the fact he was so concerned about finding out information regarding the Infinity Stones.

     As the film drew to a close, Carol looked around her. Tony and Nat were curled up together on the smallest sofa, her head on his shoulder as he stroked her hair lazily. Clint was fast asleep in an arm chair with half a bottle of beer balancing between his hand and his chest. Steve was trying to stay awake but not having much luck as he kept dropping off and jolting back awake. Sam watched contently from his own arm chair as he sipped another beer. Finally, Wanda lay asleep at the other end of the couch she and Carol were currently occupying. As the end credits began to roll, Sam rose slowly. “You know I’ll never understand why Skywalker tries to jump Obi Wan at the end. Like is he arrogant or just dumb?” Carol snorted a laugh, “I think he’s both to be honest young Samuel,” she said as she gently slipped out from under Wanda’s legs. “What do you mean “young Samuel” Danvers? I’m 37 you know. You’re like what 28?” Carol shook her head softly with a smile. “While I may be 28 physically, I’m actually 54 years old. Nearly 55 actually,” she said casually as Sam’s brows furrowed in confusion. “You know what? Explain it to me when I’m sober and not tired otherwise I’ll just forget it,” he said as he woke Steve up. Steve stood up and stretched as he yawned loudly, causing Nat’s eyes to shoot open at the sudden loud noise. “Sorry Nat, it’s only me,” he said sheepishly as her eyes scanned the room. “You need to learn how yawn quietly Rogers,” she said as she got up, pulling a tired looking Tony with her. The various members of the team bid each other goodnight and slowly trudged off to their respective bedrooms, craving nothing but sleep. Carol looked down at her sleeping girlfriend and smiled lovingly. She gently scooped her up into her arms and carried along the hallway to their bedroom, bidding Vision a goodnight along the way. The android woke Clint up softly, explaining that how he’d rather him go to bed properly rather than sleeping in an uncomfortable chair, which caused Clint to laugh. “Thanks man, I’d have woken up with major neck ache tomorrow if you didn’t wake me just now. Anyway, night Vizh, don’t stay up to late.”

  
      “Tony, babe, cmon come to bed. You’ve been awake for hours if not days; knowing you, the last time you slept was the night before we last deployed,” Nat pleaded as Tony exited the bathroom. “I’m coming Nat honest, I’ve just been worried lately. I don’t know what about but I keep thinking that something bad is right around the corner and I don’t know what. But I think whatever it is, it’s gonna split the team right up.” The redhead spy pulled her fiancé down to bed and kissed him passionately. “You worry too much Anthony Stark. Now cmon, I know it’s in your nature to worry but trust me, we’re all doing fine okay? You saw how it was earlier on tonight; just like old times with pizza and movies. I love you Tony and so does everyone else, nothing could change that or drive the team apart. I promise.” Even after Nat’s little pep talk, Tony didn’t feel much better. Ever since Wanda had messed with his head in South Africa, Tony had been able to feel when something was about to happen. Sometimes it was a minor thing he predicted or sometimes he would get really anxious for no apparent reason, only for the team to be called out on an emergency response. He didn’t tell the others about this of course, they’d only tell him what Nat had told him- he was worrying too much, everything was fine- which he knew was bullshit, it’s just in a situation like that, what else can you say? Once again, Tony’s sudden anxiety would prove to be another correct premonition, that would indeed shatter the team.


	2. A strike within

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after their weekly movie night; the Avengers are shattered to find out one of their own has been murdered in their sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So not a massive chapter this time, it’s more of a filler to be honest.

     The early morning sunlight filtered in through Tony’s bedroom window, illuminating Nat in an angelic warm golden glow. As Tony lay there admiring the sheer beauty that his fiancé possessed, he heard a door slam loudly further down the hall way, which caused Nat to stir from her deep sleep. “Morning Agent Romanoff. You look stunning.” Nat laughed as she pulled Tony in for a kiss, “Flattery means you’re after something Stark so spill it, what do you want from me this time?” Tony feigned a deep hurt and shock as he clutched his chest, “Nothing actually, I just couldn’t get over how beautiful you looked just now,” he said as his cheeks turned a light shade of red. As the two avengers lazed around in bed, Tony smiled contently; glad to have finally found happiness after so many years lost in the darkness of his own mind. As if sensing his thoughts, Nat rolled over to face him and cupped his cheek. “I love you Anthony Edward Stark. Always will,” she whispered as she kissed him softly. Tony smiled into the kiss, “I’ll always love you, Natasha Natalie Romanoff Rushman.” Nat rolled her eyes as she kissed him again “You had to ruin the moment didn’t you,” she said disapprovingly, causing Tony to smirk. “Did I really ruin it though?” As he spoke, he began kissing down from her lips to her neck, and across her collarbone, causing Nat to softly moan his name as he continued to kiss his way down her soft, pale body.  
  
      Further down the hallway, Clint was running himself a hot bath, to soak his battered and bruised body. As the archer waited for the tub to fill with water, he sat back in an armchair and looked out of his window. Clint felt lucky that he’d scored a room overlooking the river; each morning he’d look out over the picturesque nature scene that ran alongside the compound as he allowed himself time to wake up. The archer lowered himself into the hot, relaxing water and sighed contently as he felt the heat sooth his bruises. Slowly, he washed himself, taking his time so as not to cause himself further injury, and then lay back to relax again. After a short while, Clint exited the rapidly cooling bath and began to prepare himself for the day ahead. He wouldn’t be able to do any combat training for a few days, but he’d be damned if he wasn’t going to keep his archery skills on point. As he put on his training gear with a groan, he headed toward the kitchen to fuel up his body for the day ahead.  
  
     “Carol....Chewie’s sitting on my head again.” As Wanda tried to move Carol’s pesky pet, she heard a loud laugh from the bathroom, causing her to roll her eyes. Carol crawled back into bed with Wanda and Chewie; as she lay down, Chewie sauntered down Wanda’s torso to lie at the foot of the bed, causing both women to laughing. “She’s definitely your pet, the no nonsense look at me attitude she has is rivalled only by your own,” Wanda said. Carol giggled and playfully smacked Wanda’s arm, “Shut up, you love my no nonsense look at me attitude.” Wanda rolled her eyes, “I don’t know where you get these crazy ideas from Danvers.”

      “You want coffee guys?” As Tony and Nat walked into the kitchen, Clint had just finished brewing enough coffee to cater for twenty five people, knowing full well just how much of the strong black beverage the avengers consumed first thing in the morning. Tony and Nat both thanked Clint for the coffee as they sat down at the breakfast bar in the centre of the kitchen, both taking long sips of their coffee as they continued to properly wake up. As the three Avengers drank their coffee and chatted about this and that, Wanda entered the kitchen, stretching her arms as she did. “Morning everyone,” she said tiredly, earning a soft laugh from Clint. “Rough night Wanda?” Wanda only rolled her eyes at Tony, “Don’t get me started. Roughest night in a while...and NOT the way I know you’re thinking Stark; Chewie kept wriggling around and trying to sleep on me. She didn’t even go near Carol though. Her own cat decided to harass me instead of her, it’s just not fair,” Wanda complained as Nat snorted a laugh at the story. Tony sighed as he stood up and began to prepare breakfast for himself and Nat; as he stirred oats and milk together, Wanda appeared alongside him with a plate of toast and jar of Nutella in her hands. Tony smiled at her as she began applying generous amounts of the chocolate spread to her toast before dropping the knife into the sink and returning to her seat. “Hey Wand, are you still down for a hand to hand combat session this morning? I just wanna plan out the rest of my day is all, Tony and I were thinking of heading out for a while in the afternoon.” Wanda chewed her toast thoughtfully for a moment, “Yeah sure why not? I mean I can definitely use the practice,” she said pleasantly as she continued her breakfast. “Guys where’s Steve?” Clint asked as he peeled an orange for himself. “He and Sam going for a jog around the compound perimeter in the morning remember,” Nat replied as she finished off her porridge.

     As some of the avengers continued their breakfast, Steve slowly shuffled into the kitchen and stood at the edge of the breakfast bar silently. He was deathly pale and his eyes were a pale pink around the edges, with a haunted look in them. He was shaking slightly. The whole team tensed up at Steve’s behaviour, as Tony rushed to his side and held him steady, “Steve, buddy, what is it? What’s wrong?” Steve turned his head to look right into Tony’s eyes and shakily uttered two short words.

 

“Sam’s dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m enjoying writing this, it’s kinda different to anything I’ve ever written anywhere before, and I think it’s not a common format to pair up the avengers with a murder mystery haha. Anyway I hope you enjoy


	3. House Arrest Protocol

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve explains how he discovered Sam. Tony isolates the compound, determined to find the killer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter so soon! I’ll be honest I don’t really have an update schedule that I follow. Basically whichever story I feel able to write a chapter for on that particular day is the story jay gets updated that day. I do try my best to update all my stories at least twice a week so hopefully this works for you all. Anyway enjoy this chapter.
> 
> WARNING ⚠️ THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS GRAPHIC DESCRIPTIONS OF VIOLENCE AND MAY UPSET SOME READERS.

“Friday, activate the House Arrest Protocol right now.” Not a moment after Tony spoke, all the doors and windows of the compound were crossed with energy barriers that prevented anyone from entering or exiting, no matter how strong they may be. Tony led Steve to a seat and gave him a glass of water. As Steve shakily drank the cool fluid, the other avengers quietly gathered round, wanting to know who had killed one of their own. “Start at the beginning Steve, take your time.”

_“Sam, you ready yet?” As Steve lightly knocked his friend’s bedroom door he sighed tiredly. Their morning run was always something to look forward to; it got them warmed up and ready for the day and also gave them a chance to catch up and joke around with each other. Steve waited a few moments longer before he gently knocked again. “Sam? It’s Steve come on we’ve usually left by now,” he said slightly louder than last time.  
_

_When there was still no reply Steve began to worry; he tried the door handle and was surprised to find that it was unlocked. Slowly he pushed the door open and tried to survey the room. The blinds were still drawn meaning he could see very little other than silhouettes of larger furniture items like the side table or bookcase. Gingerly, he flipped up the light switch, allowing the Stark-Enhanced LED lights to completely illuminate the room. Sam’s bed was empty. It had quite clearly been slept in but was now deserted; the bedside table had a half full glass of water perched on top of it along with Sam’s current reading book._ _His phone was still plugged in and charging alongside the book. It almost looked as if Sam had just gone to the bathroom and planned to return to bed, but Steve knew better._

 _The room was dead silent, there was_ _most definitely nobody else in here, or in Sam’s en suite. Steve furrowed his brow; Sam- much like Steve- couldn’t go out for the day and leave his bed in such a state. They often joked how military drill had altered their psychology meaning they had to make their beds before leaving their rooms. If Sam has left it obviously wasn’t by choice. Steve dismissed the idea that Sam had left, because it was purely impossible. Even if he had been forced to leave somebody else would’ve heard the commotion. Wanda and Carol’s room was opposite and Carol slept as light as a feather meaning she’d here even the slightest disturbance. Not to mention Wanda’s psychic powers would allow her to feel the distress Sam would be feeling if he were being forced out of his room by kidnappers. As Steve continued looking around the room he shuddered. It was eerily neat, not a thing out of place. No clothes left hanging over chairs or bundled into piles;_ _no shoes kicked off and left on the floor; no paperwork strewn across the place, nothing at all was out of place. Steve slowly approached the en suite, pushing the door open slightly.  
_

_He couldn’t see anything out of place around the sink and the mirror wasn’t smashed. He threw the door wide open and quickly scanned the whole bathroom. As his eyes landed on the bath tub, he was immediately hit by a sight that will stay with him until his dying day. Sam was lying in the tub still wearing his night clothes. His entire torso was a dark red colour as was his neck. As Steve took a closer look, he notice that Sam’s throat had been cut wide open from ear to ear. Quick and effective, whoever had done this knew exactly what they were doing. Steve just stood there staring at the bloodied corpse of one of his best friends. He felt rage. Shock. Sadness. Suddenly Steve doubled over and clutched his stomach; he was violently sick into the toilet and began to cry like he’d never cried before. One of the few people who understood his struggles was now a blood soaked body_ _in a bath. They’d been talking and joking only hours ago, and now they’d never talk again. Steve stood up and headed towards the kitchen. He didn’t even realise he was walking to the kitchen, his mind was on autopilot, it was only when Tony grabbed his shoulder and shook him lightly that he realised he’d reached the kitchen. “Sam’s dead,” was all he could utter._

Nat let out a pained, shaky breath as Steve reached the end of his story. Wanda buried her face in her hands and sobbed her eyes out as Carol wrapped an arm around her and tried to calm her. “Friday. Where’s Banner?” As Tony waited for a reply he looked around the team. There wasn’t a single one of them not crying or trying to hold their tears at bay. He was going to find who did this. Whatever it takes. “Dr Banner is currently in Stark Tower with Mr Hogan boss. Shall I call them and tell them to head here?” Tony debated getting them involved. Bruce’s specialty was biology, the man had 7 PhDs in various strands of the subject for god’s sake. They couldn’t call the county coroner or police, that would be too risky so it had to be Bruce. He wasn’t going to like it. “Yeah do it. Tell him to get his ass here as soon as he can, but don’t tell him why.” Tony turned to face the other avengers. “Okay everyone. The House Arrest Protocol is in effect which means nobody can enter or leave unless I give Friday permission to allow it. Bruce and Happy will be allowed in but that’s it. I’m not saying one of us is Sam’s killer but let’s be honest here; this compound is one of the most secure locations in the country so it’s highly unlikely that an intruder got in and killed him. Now we all need to keep calm and work together to root out the killer. I’m sure it wasn’t any of us but the House Arrest Protocol is just to keep us all together; plus if there is an intruder and they’re still here, then they can’t leave either. The only sound in the room was the buzz of the energy barriers; unsure of what to do or say, the Avengers simply sat around together in silence, mourning the loss of a beloved team member. Tony sighed as he stood up and headed down to his workshop. 

       “Friday, load up any and all security footage from the residential quadrant of the compound. I need you to see if there’s any possible indication as to who Sam’s killer is. Review all the footage at least twice and let me know if you find anything. I also want you to keep a quiet eye on everyone in the compound, myself included. I hereby give you full permission to use audio and visual monitoring of everyone in the compound, including Bruce when he arrives. The moment you see anything suspicious from any one on the team, notify me. Discreetly.” Stark was pissed and he was on a mission. Justice would be served. Whatever it takes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hopefully you all read the trigger warning before the story! I’ll be honest I feel like there may be future graphic depictions of violence in the story. I’m not 100% sure yet but that’s just a general heads up. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Comments are always appreciated, as are people checking out my other stories. Thanks a bunch for reading.


	4. Bruce Arrives

“Boss, Doctor Banner and Mr Hogan are touching down on the landing pad. Shall I let you outside to meet them?” Tony stood up and stretched himself out with a groan. “No just let them through the barrier and tell them to come straight to my workshop. Don’t let the others know they’re here yet either.” Tony trudged toward the kitchen section of his lab and poured a hot cup of black coffee, savouring it’s strong taste and revitalising qualities. Tony closed his eyes and sighed; he didn’t know Sam all that well but he was a good man who had been there for Steve and Nat in their time of need. Stark felt on edge, he was sure none of the team had killed Sam but at the same time it couldn’t have been anyone else; he didn’t know who he could trust. 

The sound of the lab door sliding open interrupted Tony‘s stressful inner thoughts, as he looked up at his visitors. “Tony, what the hell is going on here? FRIDAY said the House Arrest Protocol is in effect.” Tony patted Bruce on the shoulder and ushered him and Happy to a seat as he prepares to break the news to them. “I’m afraid Sam’s dead. Murdered in his room,” Tony stated simply, taking a moment to let it sink in for his friends. Bruce ran his hand down his face and breathed out slowly. “Oh dear god Tony. Don’t take this the wrong way; but what did you want me to do? Don’t tell me it’s what I think it is,” Bruce said nervously, worried that Tony would confirm his suspicions. Tony just nodded softly at Bruce, “I’m sorry Bruce but somebody needs to do the autopsy and we can’t involve the Police or Feds in this.” Bruce sighed and stood up. “Let’s get it over with then.”

 

                That evening......

 

“Banner? What did you find out in the autopsy.” Bruce sat down and swigged a mouthful of coffee. “His throat was cut from ear to ear about two inches deep all the way. Tony, he was almost decapitated; whoever did this has some serious strength. The cut throat was obviously the cause of death but I found large traces of Anaesthetic in his system too. Enough to knock Steve out for an hour; explains how the killer was able to carry Sam from his bed to bath without waking him up. I haven’t found a single needle entry wound anywhere so I’m assuming that he ingested the anaesthetic, most likely mixed in with something he drank. Other than that, there wasn’t anything else untoward on the body.”

Tony stared at his holographic spider web of evidence and suspects, and added Bruce’s autopsy report. “So, the killer has strength, that doesn’t really rule out many people. Essentially only rules out Wanda seeing as she’s not that strong physically. Anyone else here could easily slice through muscle and bone with ease.” Tiny pushed himself away from the hologram desk and turned on his chair to face Bruce. “I genuinely don’t know where to go from here Bruce. Feel like things are only going to get worse. I-“ as Tony began his next sentence, he and Bruce were scared out of their skins by a terrified, guttural scream.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’ve chosen my murder at last so I’m going to try and wrap this up soon. I’m going to use lots of shorter chapters rather than a few long ones as I think they’re working quite well for this type of story.


	5. Never got the chance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another Avenger is struck down by the anonymous murderer lurking in Avenger’s Compound.

“Oh my good god! Wanda! What the hell happened to you?!” As Wanda lurched forward into the kitchen covered in blood, Nat and Carol rushed to her sides and tried to stop her falling. The Maximoff twin dropped to her knees and wretched a mouthful of blood over the floor. Wanda sluggishly turned her head to Carol- who’s cheeks were soaked with silent tears. As Carol held her girlfriend’s arm and begged her to keep her eyes open, to keep breathing until help arrives; Wanda shed a single tear and whispered a choked goodbye. “I’m sorry. I love you Carol Dan....”

Tony and Bruce charged through the double oak doors into the kitchen and ground to a halt when they saw the sight before them. Carol sat on her knees motionless, holding Wanda’s bloodied body as the blood seeped into her blue jeans a white t-shirt. Natasha sat on the floor a metre or so away holding her knees to her chest and shaking slightly. “Oh god no. Not Wanda,” Bruce breathed out as he took a breath and ran his hand through his hair. Tony rushed to Nat’s side and cradled her in his arms; as soon as he touched her, Nat crumbled into a shivering wreck and sobbed her eyes out, clutching Tony’s sweatshirt for dear life.

 

An hour later, Wanda’s body lay on a cold steel table in the medical wing of the compound. Bruce had cleaned her body and completed an examination- there was no need for autopsy this time; the 17 stab wounds across the torso made cause of death quite clear. Carol stood at the top end of the table and looked down at Wanda’s face, bare of makeup, blood and emotion. She looked almost as if she were asleep, dreaming of Carol perhaps, or of her brother. Carol took a deep breath and placed her hand on Wanda’s head, stroking her hair as if to soothe her spirit. “I’m sorry I failed you Wanda. I never thought I’d lose you, I love you so much I’d give anything to have you back. I wanted to give you this but never got the chance,” Carol spoke lowly as she pulled a velvet box from her bloodied jean pocket and opened the lid. Inside was a shining silver ring with a beautifully cut ruby placed in the centre. Carol smiled sadly as she slipped the ring onto Wanda’s left ring finger and held her hand in her own. “Stay safe for me Wand; until I see you again,” Carol whispered, pressing a delicate, long lasting kiss to Wanda’s forehead before she turned and left the room.

 

Carol marched into the meeting room and slammed the door shut so forcefully that the glass pane cracked diagonally from top to bottom. She eyed the remains Avengers emotionlessly and then sat down, as Tony stood up. “Vision and I have reviewed the security footage and have alibis for everyone. Well, everyone except for you..... Clint.” As if on cue, Clint leapt from his seat and tried to crash through the meeting room’s glass wall, he was stopped however, by Vision, who phased through the furniture at lighting speed and grabbed the archer by his throat, then lifted him into the air. Carol walked over to Clint and looked him dead in the eye, as her own eyes blazed with fury. “Don’t look at me like that Avenger, you’ll all die soon enough,” he spat at the team, causing Carol to scream in anger and punch him square on the jaw, rendering him unconscious. Vision dropped him into a chair and gestured to Clint’s nose, which had a stream of dark green liquid oozing from it, as well as from his split lip. Tony looked across and uttered a single word.

 

“Skrulls” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know MCU Skrulls are the good guys but I’m going with comic style Skrulls who are bad guys just because it suits the story, in case anyone was wondering why that twist was written that way. Not many chapters left now!


	6. Far from over

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The team lay their fallen comrades to rest.

The following morning, Tony was woken by FRIDAY’s alert systems warning him that something was wrong in the holding cells. As Tony and the team rushed into the cell where their Skrull prisoner was being held, they saw him writhing around on the floor as a white foam escaped from his lips. Tony entered the cell cautiously, with his watch mounted repulsor drawn and primed to fire. “FRIDAY, life signs?,” he asked as he inched toward the unmoving alien. “None boss. He’s dead, suicide by the looks of it as nobody’s been here. It appears he had some vial of an unknown element that caused cardiac arrest upon ingestion,” FRIDAY informed them. Steve entered the cell with Carol and looked over at the body. “Well we need to try and figure out what they wanted here. But there’s something else we need to do first.”

 

Overlooking the lake was where the two fallen heroes were laid to rest. Two simple graves dug atop the hill at the forest’s edge, where the sun would gently warm the simple stone grave markers. The remainder of the team gathered around the freshly filled grace and paid their last respects to the comrades. Carol knelt at the foot of Wanda’s grave and allowed her silent tears to fall endlessly. Behind her stood Tony, who rested his hand gently on Carol’s shoulder as she wept. To the left, Natasha and Steve stood between the two graves, an arm wrapped around each other in silent comfort. They’d both lost two best friends and teammates, but Steve had lost one of his rocks and felt a hole where Sam’s life had been intertwined with his own. “I’m sorry I couldn’t save you, Wanda,” Carol whispered to herself. Nat, whom had heard Carol’s utterance, knelt down beside the blonde and took her hands, causing Carol to lock eyes with the spy. “You and I both know it’s not your fault, Carol. We both tried our best for her but that bastard of a Skrull had been too vicious. Don’t ever blame yourself for this, I know how hard it is, but you’re not alone in this world. We’re all here for you, and all here for each other.” Carol nodded softly and stood up. The sun was setting and the team had work to do.

 

Two days after Sam and Wanda’s funeral, the Avengers plus Happy were gathered in the conference room, going over what little evidence had been left by their Skrull infiltrator. Steve let out a long sigh and stood up to get more coffee,” This is hopeless; our only lead is quite literally a dead end, we don’t know where the real Clint is or if he’s even alive, and we don’t know if there’s anymore Skrulls implanted anywhere.” Nat took her feet off of the table and rested her head in the palms of her hands. “Steve’s right, we can’t just keep sitting here, hoping that some new lead will fall out of the sky for us to follow. We’re basically out of options,” Nat admitted with a frustrated look on her face. Happy yawned from his arm chair in the corner, drawing the attention of the Avengers, who looked at him with various faces of confusion, annoyance and humour. Quietly he stood up and excused himself, muttering about needed a nap to recharge himself. Tony sat down and rubbed his face, “I think this whole ordeal is far from over.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a tiny chapter today as I’ll be taking a break from this for a week or so while I work on Miss You and start planing out the next instalment in my Mr Stark & Agent Romanoff Series. Hope everyone is enjoying my little stories, they’re a little bit of fun for me to craft in my spare time and it’s always nice to read people’s comments.


	7. Strike Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony and Steve devise a plan to root out any further potential Skrulls hidden in the compound. Nat and Carol share their grief over Wanda with each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A new chapter, at last! Sorry it too so long I’ve just been so damn busy (and still am!) that it’s hard to find time to properly write a chapter. Anyway here’s a short little one just to tide you over until I can write another.

     “Hey Cap; brought you a little something,” Nat said softly as she sat down on the bench alongside Carol, and handed the blonde a warm mug of hot chocolate. Carol smiled sadly and took the sugary drink from Nat’s hands, enjoying the warmth it brought her cold hands. “You know, I was going to propose this Christmas. Even bought the ring already,” Carol began, producing a small white gold ring with a deep red ruby set into the centre, and handing it over to Nat, who examined the ring carefully. “It’s beautiful Carol. I’m so sorry she didn’t make it, truly. If I could’ve put myself in her place I would’ve done so in an instant,” Nat admitted quietly, handing the ring back to Carol. The blonde sipped her hot chocolate and let out a long shaky sign before standing back up in front of Wanda’s grave; Natasha wrapped an arm around her shoulder, which Carol softly lent into, enjoying the slight comfort it brought her. “I just miss her Nat; so much,” Carol admitted quietly. Natasha gently kissed the side of Carol’s head, and stroked her arm softly. “I think you always will Carol; she was a part of you and while she may be gone from this world, she’ll never be gone from you. She’s helped make you into the woman you are right now, and she’ll continue to help you develop as life goes on.”

 

The loud slam of a a hand hitting a desk jolted Bruce out of his brief nap; he looked across the room to see Tony and Steve glaring at each other from opposite ends of the conference table. Great, he thought to himself, here we go again. “Look I’m telling you Cap, lifting the House Arrest Protocol is a dumbass idea that will make things worse. Trust me,” Tony pleaded as he sat back down in his black leather chair. Steve ran his hand through his blonde hair, “Think about it Tony; if there are more Skrulls here to kill us or whatever, then lifting the Protocol won’t be an issue because they’d have no reason to leave before we’re all dead. Surely you can see that.” Tony rubbed his hands across his face and sighed deeply. “Alright fine. But if this goes wrong then you’ve only got yourself to blame from here on out,” Tony stared as his entered his biometric signature to disable the House Arrest Protocol. 

 

“Hey Nat; how you doing?” Nat smiled as Tony’s arms wrapoed around her slender figure. The spy, who had trained with Carol for most of the day, was now preparing for bed hoping their problems were at an end. “I’m good Tony, how about you?” She asked as she rested her head back into the crook of his neck. She felt Tony smiled as his arms went up around her shoulders and massages her gently. Nat felt uneasy as his arms kept moving upward towards her neck, as she began to turn to face him; his hands clamped down around her neck and began applying a lethal pressure upon her airways. As Nat struggled with Tony, she kicked over her dressing table mirror causing a loud crash and shatter to ring through the room. As the redhead fought against her fiancé for her life; the door burst open. Nat slumped forwards, feeling her vision going black. “Hey! Get the fuck off of her now!”


	8. Wake Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of Natasha’s attack.

“Please, for the love of god wake up Nat. I need you; we all do in our own ways. I love you and you mean so much to me just please; wake up.” Natasha could faintly hear the quiet plea coming from alongside her bed as she slowly regained consciousness. She felt her hand being held gently in another’s own warm hands as they gently rubbed circles across the back. Delicately, she opened her eyes a fraction; unable to take full force of the bright white lights in the medical wing. To her left she saw a blurred outline holding her hand and looking downward. Natasha closed her eyes tightly and reopened them, completely this time. “Ca....Carol?” She managed to force out hoarsely. At the mention of her name, Danver’s head snapped up to look Natasha square in the eye and smile widely. She squeezed Nat’s hand and helped the redhead sit up in her bed. “What happened? And where’s Tony?” Nat asked, a hint of fear in her voice at the mention of Stark. Carol rubbed Nat’s arm soothingly as she sat on the bed alongside her; “Nat calm down, the man who attacked you. It wasn’t Tony. Tony was in his lab with Bruce; FRIDAY confirmed it as well as showing us the surveillance footage from the lab. Tony was right though; there was more than one Skrull hidden here, and that’s what attacked you. We’ve got this one locked up in the holding area again; and have removed his suicide pill as well,” Carol informer her. Natasha slumped back down onto the bed and groaned. “I don’t scare easy but I was terrified Carol; I thought my Tony had snapped,” Natasha admitted as she began to cry into her lap. Carol cradled the redhead in her arms, providing enough silent comfort to calm Natasha down. 

“Mr Stark, Captain Danvers has reported that Miss Romanoff is awake. However I-“ Vision was unable to finish his sentence before Tony bolted through the lab door and ran towards the medical wing. As Tony rounded a right corner into the medical wing, he felt a strong tug on his forearm. Tony spun round to see Steve with a concerned look on his face. Before Stark had a chance to protest Steve’s interruption, the aforementioned captain gestured for him to stay silent. “Look Tony I know you wanna see her but don’t just rush in there; she was almost killed by a creature wearing your face, that’s bound to affect her mentally. Just let me check she’s comfortable seeing you okay? You don’t wanna make her feel worse.” Tony sighed but nodded in silent agreement, allowing Steve to enter Nat’s care room. 

Natasha and Carol’s eyes shifted towards the care room door as Steve quietly entered and offered a warm smile in greeting. “Hey Carol. Nat how are you feeling now?” Nat propped herself up in her bed and swallowed thickly. “Not bad. Neck and shoulders hurt like crazy,” Nat muttered out, gesturing to her neck and collarbone which was covered in reddish-blue bruises and hand prints, causing Steve to grimace slightly and clench his fists. Steve took a breath before continuing, “Tony wants to know if he can come in. I said I’d ask you first just because.... well, you know,” Steve trailed off. Carol squeezed Nat’s hand softly and gave her a gentle nod. “Yeah. Yeah I want to see him.”

Tony shuffled into Natasha’s room cautiously, Steve’s warning of accidentally triggering Nat at the forefront of his mind. Natasha’s shoulders visibly tensed at Tony’s entrance, which causes Carol to take her hand and offer a reassuring squeeze. Tony sat down alongside Nat and tried to raise a smile but failed as a silent fear slipped down his cheek. Nat looked to Carol and Steve, signalling them to leave the couple alone for a few minutes. The two blonde captains exchanged glances and silently agreed to stay close by outside the room. “Look Nat I... well I just, I don’t know I’m sorry I couldn’t keep you safe.” Natasha took Tony’s hand in her own and gently shushed him. “It’s not your fault Tony. None of this is, that Skrull could’ve chosen any member of the team and it would’ve been able to get to me. I love you now stop beating yourself up,” Natasha stated warmly as she gestured for Tony to come up onto the bed with her. Natasha pulled Tony down to face her and planted a delicate yet passionate kiss on his lips; allowing everything about him- from the smell of his cologne to the taste of his lip balm- to overload her senses.

Carol gingerly peeked through the blinds from the hallway outside and saw her teammates curled up on the bed, safely locked in each other’s embrace. Danvers couldn’t be happier for the two of them and yet felt an enormous amount of grief and guilt wash over her as it dawned on her that she and Wanda would never lay together like that again. Carol would never kiss her soft sweet lips again. Never hear her laugh again. All the days that would never happen washed over Carol, and as she stood there in the hallway, a tear rolled down her cheek. Steve rounded the corner with two cups of water but discarded them to the floor and went to Carol’s side. He looked from Carol’s face into Nat’s room and just took Danvers into his arms. As soon as Steve’s arms surrounded Carol, she broke down into a bundle of tears and silent sobs. “I’m here for you Carol; I know how you feel and if there’s anything ever anything I can do for you, then please just ask,” Steve said whilst stroking Carol’s long blonde hair. Carol uttered a thank you as she wiped her eyes and rested her head on Steve’s toned chest. For the first time this week; she felt safe.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back at last! God lots has happened since my last chapter. Been to NYC (visited MCU filming locations and had a blast), applied for college, and have tried writing a satisfying continuation to my two main stories. Took me ages but I’m back on track at last. This particular chapter isn’t very good in my opinion but I just want to keep things moving now. Hope ya all enjoy and are keeping safe during these dangerous times!


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